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As you step into your first postgrad work experience, there are a lot of things you need to know that your textbooks didn't teach you over the past four years. Here is what you should be gleaning from your first adventure in the world of work. *Your First Job Is Not Your Destiny* Your first job in no way predicts where ...

Approximately two months after all debates were settled with regards to the 2009 government pay schedule, speculation has already surfaced on the 2010 pay rate changes. According to GovExec.com, the average pay increase will be at least *2.9 percent in 2010* (a claim which is based on figures released by the Department of Labor, according to journalist Brittany Ballenstedt). In case ...

Much of GovCentral's content is written by critically acclaimed, professional writers on the government sector. Whether we're working with with authors, bloggers or long-time DoD managers, GovCentral aims to deliver you the highest quality content on the web. Browse our list of Featured Writers below. Click to their websites, and get to know them better! Johnathon S. Feit Jonathon Feit is ...

Hiring agencies are looking forward to giving your resume a fair, honest chance. Don't believe me? Consider the following argument: there are hundreds of Human Resources jobs available in the government sector, and only a handful of them have anything to do with reading and assessing resumes. Now, why would somebody deliberately take a position reviewing candidate's resume, if they didn't ...

There is a lot of discussion about how government-sector jobs are more stable than others in our faltering economy and about how government hiring trends are predicted to be more resistant to the economic downturn than other sectors. Unfortunately, this doesn't do you a whole lot of good, if you've got no idea of where to start in order to get ...

The weakened economy and tight job market can be frightening to servicemembers ready to enter the civilian workforce. However, in spite of the economic turmoil, one career field stands to endure and thrive — the Green Jobs Sector. Prior to the economic meltdown, green-collar jobs were already on track to become one of the nation's fastest growing careers. In fact, the ...

Did you know that by 2016, one-third (33.5 percent) of the total US workforce will be age 50 or older? In the government sector, this statistic is actually even higher; in fact, 44 percent of the current Government workforce will be eligible for retirement within the next five years. The AARP's 'Best Employers for Workers Over 50' is an annual program ...

Have your own website or MySpace page? Here’s a great way to spread the word about GovCentral, and to get friends and family involved. GovCentral is now offering all member-owned websites the opportunity for partnership and link swapping. Email: info@govcentral.com for more information. h4. Text Links Feel free to use any of the text links below by copying the code out ...

You’re looking to get a leg up on the rest of the application pool while you search for federal job opportunities, right? In that case, you should probably spend a little bit of time analyzing the way other applicants are searching for jobs. Luckily, USA Jobs is full of information about the searches conducted on its site. We’ve taken the most ...

Whether you are a first-time job-seeker or you’re a veteran employee, it is important that you are cautious and thoughtful as you try to land your ideal job. There’s more to a successful job search than ironing your best suit and printing out extra resumes. Today's government agencies are looking for the best of the best; one typo on your resume ...

If you want to maximize your federal job search success you need to formulate a strategy. Here’s a helpful scenario that will help human resource specialists notice you. John, the job seeker: John decided that he wanted to land a civilian position with the Navy in Florida. So, he Googled *“Navy Civilian Jobs”* and the Navy’s website came up. Then he ...

As a member of the National Guard, you’ve worked in Iraq under tremendous pressure, performed the highest level of teamwork, ensured safety on the ground, and worked in complex international environments. And, with this military experience, you can add at least five points to your federal application scores. This can help you rise above some of the competition. The benefits with ...

Ever wonder how much money you can save by cutting your commuting costs? How about enough to pay for two trips to Ireland plus several major home improvements? As chief of marketing for the Maryland Transit Administration, Buddy Alves set out to see how much money he and his wife could save on their commute from the Baltimore suburbs to their ...

If you're 40 or younger, it's tough to predict how much money you might need when retirement is decades away. A few key calculations, however, can help you make sure your savings plan is on track. Saving Depends on Life Stage Rebecca Pace, a Cincinnati-based financial planner and CPA, recommends putting aside at least 10 percent of your income when you're ...

In 2002, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that the US economy will have created more than 21 million new government jobs by 2012. Here at GovCentral, we want to determine whether the BLS predicted government sector job growth accurately or not. If the trajectory of government job growth hasn't been hitting the milestones forecast by the labor statistics, which industries ...

As you might already know, September and October are important times in the performance management cycle. Employees and supervisors are ending one cycle and planning for the next one. The Department of Defense recently announced the release of the Performance Appraisal Application 3.0 (PAA v3.0), which will go live on September 28th, 2008. This plan is being created to assist employees ...

A career fair is a great place to gather information about potential employers and make contacts that can lead to your first job. Here's some advice on how to make the most of your time. Visit GovCentral's Job Fair Center. Five Things to Take to the Career Fair p((. 1. Copies of your resume (25 to 40 depending on the size ...

According to the Office of Personnel Management, in the next 10 years, 60 percent of federal workers will be retiring in the next 10 years. There is plenty of opportunity, but job seekers need to remember that the process for landing a job with the federal government is radically different than what they may be used to in the private sector. ...

As a companion to the new Getting Hired as a First Timer guide, these interactive quizzes have been designed to help you gauge whether or not you have learned enough to start aggressively applying for government jobs. 1: Am I Ready to Apply for Government Jobs? Many job seekers do not receive any feedback on their resume before using it to ...

Recently, many more GovCentral users than ever before have been reporting to me that they've been landing interviews with the agencies they've diligently applied to over the past 30 - 45 days. This is a good thing! The more of our users who succeed in getting interviews, job offers, and government positions, the stronger our community will grow. Many government recruiters ...